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Created Sep 2025, last edited:
31/03/26, 10:03
overview of Ouse Washes, also known as the Hundred Foot Washes
Introduction
During the 17th century extensive drainage works were undertaken throughout a vast area of the fenlands of eastern England in what became known as "The Great Level of the Fens", of which over 300,000 acres later became known as "The Bedford Level"
Many indidual attempts had been made to drain parts, sometimes making matters worse for adjacent areas. In 1630 the local gentry formed the 'Commissioners of Sewers' (i.e.drainage channels) and invited the Dutch engineer Sir Cornelius Vermuyden to prepare a plan to drain the marshy lands through which the Great Ouse River flowed and manage the work. They were unable to agree terms, so in 1631 they turned to Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford, to become the 'undertaker' of the scheme. He owned substantial estates in the area and was very wealthy, and he had many wealthy friends. He persuaded a dozen of them to join him and his son William in funding the work. Today we would call them venture capitalists. Then they were known as adventurers and would be allotted reclaimed land as their reward.
For much more detail of the work, the Earl and the Adventurers, the King's involvement and the organisation that succeded them for 257 years, go to my
Adventurers and Bedford Level Corporation page.
The Earl invited Vermuyden to plan and oversee the work. Well, that's the generally accepted story. However, in 2007, Margaret Albright Knittle cited compelling evidence that he was not involved. In fact it probably wasn't even his idea, the cut having been proposed by others, including Hunt in 1604. More of that later.
During 1632-37, a channel was cut, overseen by whoever, from Earith north-east to Salters Lode, 70 Feet wide at top of cut and initially known by its width, but later named the Bedford River. It would take the water of the Great Ouse (correctly River Great Ouse) more quickly towards the sea than the circuitrious route around Ely, so preventing flooding in that area.
It was initially thought successful, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't. The work provided a shorter channel to the sea, but was unable to contain the upstream floodwaters nor high tides coming in from the sea at Kings Lynn.
Scroll down to learn what happened next, or choose a subject from the index. To open: press firmly and hold, then tap a subject; or hover mouse. You can return to the index anytime via button on left.
There may be doubt about who planned and managed the 1630s work, but it was certainly Vermuyden who designed the scheme to deal with the failure.
In 1642 Vermuyden wrote his famous "Discourse" which initiated a second and much more comprehensive scheme, the main part of which was cutting a second channel completed in 1652 parallel to the first about 1/2 mile apart. That was 100 feet wide at top of cut and initially named the Hundred Feet River, but later called the New Bedford River. The earlier river was renamed OLD Bedford River to avoid confusion. That was its third name in just 20 or so years.
The work created a 19 mile long, approx 6,000 acre temporary floodwater storage area surrounded by rivers. High "barrier" banks were constructed on the outer sides of the enclosing rivers, and lower inner banks over which water could flow during flood conditions on to the lands between them. There the water could be held in the wash lands or washes, until river flows and tidal conditions were low enough to allow drainage back into the rivers.
Almost 4 centuries later, Vermuyden's scheme still works, although the barrier banks have had to be heightened several times.
The Bedford name
The Old & New Bedford Rivers, and the Bedford Level are named after the 4th Earl of Bedford who arranged the finance to cover the work. See below for full details.
However, the Bedford Ouse, the alternative name for the south-west section of the Great Ouse that flows into the Old and New Bedford Rivers at Earith, is named
after the upstream town & county of Bedford through which it flows.
Funding and Management History
The first works, from 1630 to 1652, were funded by Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford; his son William, who became the 5th Earl; and 12 other wealthy men. As descibed above, they were known as "adventurers" and formed the Company of Adventuers.
Annual taxes to finance maintenance and future works were levied on the newly drained lands awarded
to the adventurers. For many adventurers their share of the expenses plus the taxes
due outweighed income from the lands, and many were bankrupted.
In 1663 control and funding was passed to the Bedford Level Corporation,
a much more formal organisation created that year
specifically for that purpose. During the next 250
or so years the BLC's responsibilities gradually diminished, and it was wound up
in 1920. The BLC had always had financial problems because its funding came from
rates on only part of the area it had to maintain. Subsequent bodies were
relieved of that problem but still had/have restrictions imposed by upland areas
and central government funding.
The table below briefly summarises the management bodies over the years and their
responsibilities. Like the rest of this page this is a draft - much has
to be added, and corrections made!
Established under the General Draining Act, 1663 to maintain drainage & navigation on all three levels. Lost resp for most of NL 1753 and all by 1857
Lost resp for most of Middle Level (ML) in 1810,
more 1844 and all by 1864
Lost resp for much of South Level (SL) in 1830 and all by 1920 According to Summers, by 1850 resp was confined to major channels & sluices
This is split between the organisation responsible for the main rivers and major water controlling structures around the
Washes; and those which look after the dykes and controls within the Washes.
The main rivers and controlling structures
These are controlled by the Central Area of the Anglian Region of the Environment Agency (EA) from the following locations:
office
address
tel no.
contact
position
Anglian Regional HQ
Kingfisher House Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough E2 5ZR
01733 371811 0870 8506506 01733 464389 01733 ??
Amy Squires Keith Stafford
External Relations Ofr Telemetry Team
Central Area Office
Bromholme Lane, Brampton, Huntingdon PE28 4NE
Geoff Brighty Peta Denham
Area Manager Area Fld Risk Mgr
Sub area office
Heron House Prickwillow Road, Ely Cambs CB7 4TX
01480 483685 01480 483727
Adrian Gosling Rupert Wilson Darren Trumper Alan Daniels
Operations Manager (Huntingdon?) Leader, Ouse Washes Field Team Leader, Ely Field Team Leader, Kings Lynn Field team
Sub area office
Howard House, 40-64 St John’s St Bedford MK42 0DJ
Denver Complex
Daniel Pollard
Superintendent
Note: Names mentioned are just a very few of the huge
numbers of staff in the region e-mail addresses are generally firstname.surname@environment-agency.gov.uk
Operation procedures and targets are defined in the EA's Ouse Washes Water Level Management Plan (OW WLMP) as revised from time to time.
Lack of WLMP data on-line makes it difficult for those who wish to study, understand, comment on or judge the EA's actions to do so, as I outlined on my home page (see the system). That is why a website such as this is necessary.
The following is a brief summary of the establishment of OW WLMPs 1
Date
Item
Produced by
for
1970s
Management Strategy (MS) report
Nature Conservancy
scheme not pursued
1991 - Aug 1992 - ???
OW Flood Control Rpts
Mott Macdonald
NRA
reduction of summer flooding
1992 - Jan
OW MS Group (MSG) 2
established by English Nature (EN) & NRA
with input from HFW IDB, conservation groups, wildfowlers
and farmers
1993 - May
OW MSG Intro Paper
EN & NRA
aims & objectives of partners
1995 - Oct
consultation
1996 - Jan/Feb
consultation
1996 - Mar
OW WLMP 1996
Binnie, Black & Veatch
NRA
Not endorsed by all
1997 - Dec
OW WLMP
EA
1998 - July
OW WLMP 1998
EA
Adopted
2002 - Aug
OW WLMP 20023
Halcrow Group Ltd
EA
Review & update 98 plan. Adopted
Notes:
1
WLMPs were/are prepared in accordance with MAFF/DEFRA procedural guides.
2
The OW MSG is the forum for reviewing & updating plans. (Source: OW WLMP 2002, para2.4.3)
3
The EA plans to revise the OW WLMP starting in 2009.
The drainage recommendations of the Flood Risk Management (FRM) Strategy will be incorporated to ensure that there are no
conflicting objectives that may exacerbate the deterioration of the Ouse Washes.
(Source: Great Ouse Tidal River Strategy (GOTRS) Review SEA Environmental Report, Sep 2009,
Appendix A: Internal and External Plans Table 1 Relevant EA Plans to the GOTRS)
The dykes, drains and controls within the Washes
The Hundred Foot Washes IDB owns and is responsible for the 17 slackers (small sluices) along the west (inner) bank of the New Bedford/Hundred Foot River which allow water for irrigation to be taken from the river into the IDB's 10-mile long "header" dyke.
The field dykes fed from the header dyke and the controls on the field dykes, are the responsibility of the land owners or users, principally the RSPB and WWT.
The operational functions of these three organisations (IDB, RSPB, WWT) is somewhat blurred because the RSPB and WWT reserve/site managers are also Superintendents of the IDB.
A few of the wash fields are owned by wildfowling clubs and individuals who are responsible for the field ditches and controls.
The Three Fishers Welches Dam, Manea March PE15 0NF
01354 680212
Jon Reeves
Site Manager
WWT
Hundred Foot Bank Welney Wisbech PE14 9TN
01353 860711
Leigh Marshall
Reserve Manager
A complex and confusing situation
To describe reasonably briefly the complex system of managing the system to balance the sometimes conflicting needs of drainage, flood protection, irrigation, summer grazing, navigation and the effects of changes in sea and land levels is difficult enough.
Add to that the multiplicity of names used for the watercourses, engineering features and surrounding lands, it is not surprising that
confusion has arisen, not just to the general public, but to historians
and writers, and even some EA staff whose official
reports often contain mistakes, all of which makes research and explanation a tad
difficult.
Perhaps the most confusing of all is that the Old Bedford River (OBR) that
arrives at Salter's Lode is not the OBR that starts at Earith. The original
Bedford River, renamed OBR, was cut in two by a dam at a place that became known
as Welches Dam. The northern section was connected via a lock to the Forty Foot,
or Vermuyden's Drain draining from Ramsey. The southern section remained a
dead-end and the means of allowing flood waters coming through Earith
Sluice to flow into the Washes.
Later, the southern half of the OBR was joined to new drain named the Delph
River which was cut from Welches Dam running northwards alongside the eastern
bank of the northern section of the original OBR. This combined river, known as
the Old Bedford/Delph River, eventually crosses the washes and joins the New
Bedford at Welmore Lake sluice.
At some other time a
drainage system known as the
Cranbrook Drain/Counter Drain starting near
Colne was joined onto the northern section of the OBR near the Forty Foot lock.
From Colne, the Cranbrook Drain runs south-east to
Black Sluice just north of Earith.
Here, Cranbrook Drain can flow straight on through Black
Sluice into the OBR, but under normal circumstances the
water turns north-east at more than a right angle into the
start of the Counter Drain (CD). The CD runs northeast from
there alongside the western bank of the southern section of OBR, taking in water from the
Middle Level fens to the west of the Ouse Washes. This combined waterway, known as the CD/OBR,
is the one that arives at Salter's Lode.
The SW/NE orientation of the Washes also causes confusion as mentioned earlier, in that some people refer to
the side nearest Ely as the south, others (including me) the east. Likewise the other
side is called either west or north. Hence at Welney, the outer bank of the Old Bedford south
of Welney Bridge is known as Bedford Bank West, and north of the bridge it is Bedford
Bank East. Even though it is, to me, on the western bank of the river.
Even the current name Ouse Washes is not universally used, many referring to it by an
older name, the Hundred Foot Washes, and some individual fields, or sections of
The Washes also have
their own local names.
From an Environment Agency (EA) report - click it to see a larger plan in a new window or tab.
If the area is new to you, it may be useful to keep it open when viewing other pages
Note the cross section shows the east to west slope.
Operation
The movement of water in the rivers and along the Washes is governed by several main control structures operated by the Environment Agency (EA):
Hermitage Lock at Earith,
which effectively diverts the normal flow of the Bedford Ouse into the
Hundred Foot River, allowing a small flow to continue along what is
now called the Old West River. The lock also allows navigation between
the three rivers.
Earith Sluice, which allows excess floodwaters which the Hundred Foot
and Old West Rivers cannot hold to enter the Old Bedford, which then
overflows onto/ into, the Washes.
Welmore Lake Sluice, 19 miles north-east of Earith where the retained floodwaters are eventually
released into the New Bedford River when tides and river level are low
enough.
The Old Bedford Sluice/Lock near Salter's Lode, 21 miles from Earith,
which allows navigation and two-way water flow
- excess fluvial water can exit into the Tidal River, and in summer
water from the Tidal River can be taken into the Old Bedford for
irrigation purposes.
Welches Dam Pumping Station and
Welney Sluice Gate which are six
miles apart but operated in conjunction with each other. At Welches
Dam, the two rivers on the west change their name and their function.
I'll leave further explanation to separate pages.
Many of the operations are automatic, based on river levels monitored and recorded by
a 'telemetry' system. Some of the parameters are set by law.
I have begun to explore this important subject on my
water levels page.
Gravity also plays its part of course, as in any river system, and when in flood
the waters in the washes flow downstream from south to north. But in The Washes there is an extra dimension - the wash lands are
higher on the east, so when not in flood, the field drains take waters
westwards across the washes towards the Old Bedford/Delph
(OB/D) river.
The gradient is natural, and gentle, a fall of 12 to 18 inches (0.3 to 0.45M).
This sideways flow has to be controlled and not allowed to simply drain into the OB/D
because the internal ditches need to be kept
filled during summer as explained below.
Shrinkage
After completion of Vermuyden's second scheme in the middle of the 17th century the fens were adjudged to be "drained". Vermuyden's work
had created 'summer lands' within the Washes for grazing and 'winter lands' outside the Washes for arable farming on the fertile reclaimed land. However, conditions were far from those we see today.
Despite the initial success there were unforeseen (but perhaps foreseeable?) problems. As the peat lands dried out they shrank until eventually they became lower than the
rivers. By the end of the 17th century much of the reclaimed lands were once again under water for prolonged periods.
That led to the formation of 'Internal Drainage Districts' controlled by 'Internal Drainage Boards' (IDBs) which undertook on behalf of the farmers to cut ditches around fields to drain them and lift the water up into the main rivers with wind-driven scoops or pumps, and later by massive steam engines.
The IDBs that drain into the rivers of the Ouse Washes are listed below; note some may also discharge elsewhere, eg Haddenham, and Littleport & Downham.
Internal Drainage Boards
Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), or (District) Drainage Commissioners (DCs or DDCs), are responsible for "low-level drainage", i.e, field drains and dykes.
The EA and MLC deal with the "high-level" drainage, i.e the main rivers. IDBs have elected members, whilst in DCs or DDCs, all owners of more than a certain amount of land in the area can vote.
The catchment & drain details are as stated by the IDBs in 2010-2012.
Pumping stations + other water control structures, eg slackers, sluices.
2
Over district created 1837; amalgamated with Willingham 1973
Chronology, Time Line
years
month
refs
1604
Hunt
proposed a new cut from Erith (Earith) to Salters Lode.
1630
Jan
Lyn Law
Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford, contracted to
drain the Great Level, later known as the Bedford Level(s), within 6 yrs
1631
Feb
Indenture of 14 parts
Incorporation of the Company of Adventurers to fund
the works
c1632 to c1637
Seventy Foot or (Old) Bedford River dug
from Erith (Earith) to Salters Lode, to be the new route for
the Great Ouse
c1630
(Old) Bedford Sluice built at Salters Lode
at end of (Old) Bedford river to prevent tidal inflow
into the new cut from the Great Ouse
c1630
Salters Lode Lock built
where Well Creek joins the Great Ouse
1637
Oct
a Session of Sewers held at St Ives
adjudged lands drained in line with the Lynn Law;
awarded 95,000 acres to the Adventurers
1638
Apr
a Session of Sewers held at Huntingdon
reversed, Oct 1637 decision; draining judged
defective
1638
Vermuyden's "Discourse"
A plan to improve drainage prepared for King Charles 1.
Vermuyden opposed embanking all rivers, instead cutting more rivers
and creating washlands as temporary storage.
1642
Vermuyden's "Discourse"
published, with map
1642-1651
Civil War
1645
Oliver Cromwell
appointed as Governor of the Isle of Ely. Formed a
drainage committee.
1649
Act of (The "Pretended Act")
William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford, authorised to
drain land to make fit for permanent agricultural use.
1649
Vermuyden re-engaged
to do the "second stage"
1650
Jonas Moore
appointed surveyor to the Adventurers; compiled map
of the reclaimed land showing the "lotts", ie the land allotted to
each of the Adventurers, and how the original allottments were spilt
and sub-divided many times, accounting for many (but by no means
all) the Wash fields.
c1651-c1652
Hundred Foot Drain or New Bedford River cut
from Earith to adjacent to what became Denver Sluice
navigation only possible when river levels were the
same both sides of sluice.
1649-1651
Forty Foot River cut
from Ramsey to what became known as Welches Dam
1651
Forty Foot Lock built
from 40 ft to OBR
1651
Welches Dam built
across OBR sth of Forty Foot, to turn water from 40
Ft to Salters Lode
c1652
"second phase" completed creating the Hundred Foot
Washes (later known as the Ouse Washes)
1657
William Dugdale
Commissioned by the Adventurers to write a history of
fen drainage. Didn't live in or know about the Fens. Toured the area
for 2 weeks, and consulted previous books, then wrote "History of
Imbanking and Drayning" with a version of Jonas Moore's map.
1658
Great Dyke at Mepal
"Probable" year first cut
20
1661
William Marshall
established a charity for Welney
1663
General Draining Act
established Bedford Level Corporation
1666
Great Fire of London
destroyed the Fen Office and most records of the Adventurers
& the earliest ones of BLC
to protect South Level from flooding from rivers
Lark, Wissey, and Little Ouse. Cut Off Channel from Barton Mills to
Denver and (Flood) Relief Channel from Denver to Kings Lynn.
1960-1961
(Flood) Relief Channel
Cut from Denver to Kings Lynn
1967
Model of Wash GORA workshop/lab
demolished by GORA, 1967 Coldhams Rd premises closed
Refurbished; New electric motors & pumps replaced the
1948 sets
2011
Earith Sluice
Refurbished. Radial gates repaired. Control building
updated (?)
2012
Barrier Bank works
MLBB, Welney-Welches Dam(?) £1.1m
19
Notes and sources:
1
Samuel Wells, History of the Drainage of ... Bedford
Level, Vol 1, 1830
2
W.Elstob, Historical Account of the Great Level called
Bedford Level, 1793
3
Prof HC Darby, The Changing Fenland 1983
4
Prof HC Darby, The Drainage of the Fens, 1956
5
Dorothy Summers, The Great Level, 1976
6
Dr. N.James, Drowned and Drained, Inst of Cont Ed, U of
Cam.,2009, p8
7
The Middle Level Acts, 1875
8
The Cambridge Region, 1938
9
Hansard
10
London Gazette
11
Bedford Level Corporation records
12
IDB records
13
John S Martin
14
Eddy Edwards
15
Tony Smart
16
Tablet or plaque at site
17
18
NRA
19
Environment Agency
20
Paper in Cambridge Antiquarian
Society, Vol CVIII, 2019
Ownership
area/location
owner
acres
hectares
washes South of A1101 Welney
Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB)
2,428
983
Cambs Wildlife Trust
456
184
tenanted grazing
148
60
total washes South of A1101 Welney
3,032
1227
washes North of A1101 Welney
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
910
368(2)
Fenland Wildfowlers Association
200
81
Spalding & District Wildfowlers
60
24
other wildfowling clubs & individuals
648
263
total washes North of A1101 Welney
1818
736
total all current wash lands
4,850
1963
add Environment Agency land
rivers and banks
1,087
440
Grand total
Earith to Welmore Lake Sluice
5,937
2403
Arable farmland (Lake Farm)
Welmore Lake to Salters Lode3
?
?
Notes and Sources:
1
RSPB leaflet 2006; Wildfowling club websites 2011
2
WWT site says 420 hectares, it could be an updated figure, but their site has contained so
many factual errors over the years including a current statement that the washes
were created in the 18th century, that I'll need to check that out.
3
This area was part of the original Washes flood plain/reservoir until the River Delph was cut (c1750s-1782)
There are many clubs and associations covering this subject, both in terms of current activities and the longer term planning and provision of facilities.
In April 2011 the EA carried out a study of fish species at 5 points along the Old Bedford/Counterdrain:
Old Bedford: Counterdrain Fisheries Survey Report 2011 which reported a 92% loss in average fish density since 2008. The Angling Trust Eastern Region Freshwater Forum produced a
report
detailing numerous outstanding problems.
My thanks to Kelvin Allen, Chairman of the Angling Trust for providing these documents.
There have been some later modifications to the system, for instance introducing a third river, The Delph; making a new outlet for the floodwaters at Welmore Lake Dam, later Sluice, reducing the storage area to 'only' 19 miles; and building a water transfer station at Welches Dam; but the Washes still work today much as Vermuyden intended, filling up with flood water every winter so protecting the surrounding lands.
Overview
Created Sep 2025, last edited: 31/03/26, 10:03
Introduction
During the 17th century extensive drainage works were undertaken throughout a vast area of the fenlands of eastern England in what became known as "The Great Level of the Fens", of which over 300,000 acres later became known as "The Bedford Level"Many indidual attempts had been made to drain parts, sometimes making matters worse for adjacent areas. In 1630 the local gentry formed the 'Commissioners of Sewers' (i.e.drainage channels) and invited the Dutch engineer Sir Cornelius Vermuyden to prepare a plan to drain the marshy lands through which the Great Ouse River flowed and manage the work. They were unable to agree terms, so in 1631 they turned to Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford, to become the 'undertaker' of the scheme. He owned substantial estates in the area and was very wealthy, and he had many wealthy friends. He persuaded a dozen of them to join him and his son William in funding the work. Today we would call them venture capitalists. Then they were known as adventurers and would be allotted reclaimed land as their reward.
For much more detail of the work, the Earl and the Adventurers, the King's involvement and the organisation that succeded them for 257 years, go to my Adventurers and Bedford Level Corporation page.
The Earl invited Vermuyden to plan and oversee the work. Well, that's the generally accepted story. However, in 2007, Margaret Albright Knittle cited compelling evidence that he was not involved. In fact it probably wasn't even his idea, the cut having been proposed by others, including Hunt in 1604. More of that later.
During 1632-37, a channel was cut, overseen by whoever, from Earith north-east to Salters Lode, 70 Feet wide at top of cut and initially known by its width, but later named the Bedford River. It would take the water of the Great Ouse (correctly River Great Ouse) more quickly towards the sea than the circuitrious route around Ely, so preventing flooding in that area.
It was initially thought successful, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't. The work provided a shorter channel to the sea, but was unable to contain the upstream floodwaters nor high tides coming in from the sea at Kings Lynn.
Scroll down to learn what happened next, or choose a subject from the index. To open: press firmly and hold, then tap a subject; or hover mouse. You can return to the index anytime via button on left.
Creation of "the Washes"
There may be doubt about who planned and managed the 1630s work, but it was certainly Vermuyden who designed the scheme to deal with the failure.In 1642 Vermuyden wrote his famous "Discourse" which initiated a second and much more comprehensive scheme, the main part of which was cutting a second channel completed in 1652 parallel to the first about 1/2 mile apart. That was 100 feet wide at top of cut and initially named the Hundred Feet River, but later called the New Bedford River. The earlier river was renamed OLD Bedford River to avoid confusion. That was its third name in just 20 or so years.
The work created a 19 mile long, approx 6,000 acre temporary floodwater storage area surrounded by rivers. High "barrier" banks were constructed on the outer sides of the enclosing rivers, and lower inner banks over which water could flow during flood conditions on to the lands between them. There the water could be held in the wash lands or washes, until river flows and tidal conditions were low enough to allow drainage back into the rivers.
Almost 4 centuries later, Vermuyden's scheme still works, although the barrier banks have had to be heightened several times.
However, the Bedford Ouse, the alternative name for the south-west section of the Great Ouse that flows into the Old and New Bedford Rivers at Earith, is named after the upstream town & county of Bedford through which it flows.
Funding and Management History
The first works, from 1630 to 1652, were funded by Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford; his son William, who became the 5th Earl; and 12 other wealthy men. As descibed above, they were known as "adventurers" and formed the Company of Adventuers.Annual taxes to finance maintenance and future works were levied on the newly drained lands awarded to the adventurers. For many adventurers their share of the expenses plus the taxes due outweighed income from the lands, and many were bankrupted.
In 1663 control and funding was passed to the Bedford Level Corporation, a much more formal organisation created that year specifically for that purpose. During the next 250 or so years the BLC's responsibilities gradually diminished, and it was wound up in 1920. The BLC had always had financial problems because its funding came from rates on only part of the area it had to maintain. Subsequent bodies were relieved of that problem but still had/have restrictions imposed by upland areas and central government funding.
The table below briefly summarises the management bodies over the years and their responsibilities. Like the rest of this page this is a draft - much has to be added, and corrections made!
Lost resp for most of NL 1753 and all by 1857
Lost resp for most of Middle Level (ML) in 1810, more 1844 and all by 1864
Lost resp for much of South Level (SL) in 1830 and all by 1920
According to Summers, by 1850 resp was confined to major channels & sluices
Table showing responsibilities more clearly: (work in progress, Dec 2025)
area (basin/local), drainage (incl flood protection), navigation, irrigation, water supply, fisheries, conservation, pollution prevention, abstraction licensing
The founding and workings of both the Company and the Corporation are explained in detail on the Adventurers & BLC management page.
Current management of the Washes
This is split between the organisation responsible for the main rivers and major water controlling structures around the Washes; and those which look after the dykes and controls within the Washes.The main rivers and controlling structures
These are controlled by the Central Area of the Anglian Region of the Environment Agency (EA) from the following locations:Goldhay Way,
Orton Goldhay,
Peterborough
E2 5ZR
0870 8506506
01733 464389
01733 ??
Amy Squires
Keith Stafford
External Relations Ofr
Telemetry Team
Huntingdon
PE28 4NE
Peta Denham
Area Fld Risk Mgr
Prickwillow Road,
Ely
Cambs CB7 4TX
01480 483727
Rupert Wilson
Darren Trumper
Alan Daniels
Leader, Ouse Washes Field Team
Leader, Ely Field Team
Leader, Kings Lynn Field team
40-64 St John’s St
Bedford
MK42 0DJ
e-mail addresses are generally firstname.surname@environment-agency.gov.uk
Operation procedures and targets are defined in the EA's Ouse Washes Water Level Management Plan (OW WLMP) as revised from time to time.
Lack of WLMP data on-line makes it difficult for those who wish to study, understand, comment on or judge the EA's actions to do so, as I outlined on my home page (see the system). That is why a website such as this is necessary.
The following is a brief summary of the establishment of OW WLMPs 1
1992 - ???
The drainage recommendations of the Flood Risk Management (FRM) Strategy will be incorporated to ensure that there are no conflicting objectives that may exacerbate the deterioration of the Ouse Washes. (Source: Great Ouse Tidal River Strategy (GOTRS) Review SEA Environmental Report, Sep 2009, Appendix A: Internal and External Plans Table 1 Relevant EA Plans to the GOTRS)
The dykes, drains and controls within the Washes
The Hundred Foot Washes IDB owns and is responsible for the 17 slackers (small sluices) along the west (inner) bank of the New Bedford/Hundred Foot River which allow water for irrigation to be taken from the river into the IDB's 10-mile long "header" dyke.The field dykes fed from the header dyke and the controls on the field dykes, are the responsibility of the land owners or users, principally the RSPB and WWT.
The operational functions of these three organisations (IDB, RSPB, WWT) is somewhat blurred because the RSPB and WWT reserve/site managers are also Superintendents of the IDB.
A few of the wash fields are owned by wildfowling clubs and individuals who are responsible for the field ditches and controls.
Welches Dam, Manea
March PE15 0NF
Welney
Wisbech PE14 9TN
A complex and confusing situation
To describe reasonably briefly the complex system of managing the system to balance the sometimes conflicting needs of drainage, flood protection, irrigation, summer grazing, navigation and the effects of changes in sea and land levels is difficult enough.Add to that the multiplicity of names used for the watercourses, engineering features and surrounding lands, it is not surprising that confusion has arisen, not just to the general public, but to historians and writers, and even some EA staff whose official reports often contain mistakes, all of which makes research and explanation a tad difficult.
Later, the southern half of the OBR was joined to new drain named the Delph River which was cut from Welches Dam running northwards alongside the eastern bank of the northern section of the original OBR. This combined river, known as the Old Bedford/Delph River, eventually crosses the washes and joins the New Bedford at Welmore Lake sluice.
At some other time a drainage system known as the Cranbrook Drain/Counter Drain starting near Colne was joined onto the northern section of the OBR near the Forty Foot lock. From Colne, the Cranbrook Drain runs south-east to Black Sluice just north of Earith. Here, Cranbrook Drain can flow straight on through Black Sluice into the OBR, but under normal circumstances the water turns north-east at more than a right angle into the start of the Counter Drain (CD). The CD runs northeast from there alongside the western bank of the southern section of OBR, taking in water from the Middle Level fens to the west of the Ouse Washes. This combined waterway, known as the CD/OBR, is the one that arives at Salter's Lode.
The SW/NE orientation of the Washes also causes confusion as mentioned earlier, in that some people refer to the side nearest Ely as the south, others (including me) the east. Likewise the other side is called either west or north. Hence at Welney, the outer bank of the Old Bedford south of Welney Bridge is known as Bedford Bank West, and north of the bridge it is Bedford Bank East. Even though it is, to me, on the western bank of the river.
Even the current name Ouse Washes is not universally used, many referring to it by an older name, the Hundred Foot Washes, and some individual fields, or sections of The Washes also have their own local names.
You can find more about Rivers on my ''Features' page
If the area is new to you, it may be useful to keep it open when viewing other pages
Note the cross section shows the east to west slope.
Operation
The movement of water in the rivers and along the Washes is governed by several main control structures operated by the Environment Agency (EA):
- Hermitage Lock at Earith,
which effectively diverts the normal flow of the Bedford Ouse into the
Hundred Foot River, allowing a small flow to continue along what is
now called the Old West River. The lock also allows navigation between
the three rivers.
- Earith Sluice, which allows excess floodwaters which the Hundred Foot
and Old West Rivers cannot hold to enter the Old Bedford, which then
overflows onto/ into, the Washes.
- Welmore Lake Sluice, 19 miles north-east of Earith where the retained floodwaters are eventually
released into the New Bedford River when tides and river level are low
enough.
- The Old Bedford Sluice/Lock near Salter's Lode, 21 miles from Earith,
which allows navigation and two-way water flow
- excess fluvial water can exit into the Tidal River, and in summer
water from the Tidal River can be taken into the Old Bedford for
irrigation purposes.
- Welches Dam Pumping Station and
Welney Sluice Gate which are six
miles apart but operated in conjunction with each other. At Welches
Dam, the two rivers on the west change their name and their function.
I'll leave further explanation to separate pages.
Many of the operations are automatic, based on river levels monitored and recorded by a 'telemetry' system. Some of the parameters are set by law. I have begun to explore this important subject on my water levels page.Gravity also plays its part of course, as in any river system, and when in flood the waters in the washes flow downstream from south to north. But in The Washes there is an extra dimension - the wash lands are higher on the east, so when not in flood, the field drains take waters westwards across the washes towards the Old Bedford/Delph (OB/D) river. The gradient is natural, and gentle, a fall of 12 to 18 inches (0.3 to 0.45M). This sideways flow has to be controlled and not allowed to simply drain into the OB/D because the internal ditches need to be kept filled during summer as explained below.
Shrinkage
After completion of Vermuyden's second scheme in the middle of the 17th century the fens were adjudged to be "drained". Vermuyden's work had created 'summer lands' within the Washes for grazing and 'winter lands' outside the Washes for arable farming on the fertile reclaimed land. However, conditions were far from those we see today.Despite the initial success there were unforeseen (but perhaps foreseeable?) problems. As the peat lands dried out they shrank until eventually they became lower than the rivers. By the end of the 17th century much of the reclaimed lands were once again under water for prolonged periods.
That led to the formation of 'Internal Drainage Districts' controlled by 'Internal Drainage Boards' (IDBs) which undertook on behalf of the farmers to cut ditches around fields to drain them and lift the water up into the main rivers with wind-driven scoops or pumps, and later by massive steam engines. The IDBs that drain into the rivers of the Ouse Washes are listed below; note some may also discharge elsewhere, eg Haddenham, and Littleport & Downham.
Internal Drainage Boards
Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), or (District) Drainage Commissioners (DCs or DDCs), are responsible for "low-level drainage", i.e, field drains and dykes.The EA and MLC deal with the "high-level" drainage, i.e the main rivers. IDBs have elected members, whilst in DCs or DDCs, all owners of more than a certain amount of land in the area can vote.
The catchment & drain details are as stated by the IDBs in 2010-2012.
Chronology, Time Line
c1637
held at St Ives
held at Huntingdon
(The "Pretended Act")
GORA workshop/lab
Coldhams Rd premises closed
(at expense of Upwell IDB)
18
Dam (proposed) in NBR nr Earith Br
Flow of Great Ouse reversed,
also Ely Ouse & Old West ?
10
10
10
Ownership
Irrigation
Navigation
Conservation
see also: Nature & Wildlife reservesRecreation & Sport
Bird watching
Walking
Angling
There are many clubs and associations covering this subject, both in terms of current activities and the longer term planning and provision of facilities.
In April 2011 the EA carried out a study of fish species at 5 points along the Old Bedford/Counterdrain: Old Bedford: Counterdrain Fisheries Survey Report 2011 which reported a 92% loss in average fish density since 2008.
The Angling Trust Eastern Region Freshwater Forum produced a report detailing numerous outstanding problems.
My thanks to Kelvin Allen, Chairman of the Angling Trust for providing these documents.
Skating
Boating
Wildfowling
see also: Nature & Wildlife reserves
Tourism
see also: Nature & Wildlife reserves
Additional floodwater storage areas outside Washes
see also: Nature & Wildlife reserves and Additional floodwater storage areas both on the Features page
Conclusion
There have been some later modifications to the system, for instance introducing a third river, The Delph; making a new outlet for the floodwaters at Welmore Lake Dam, later Sluice, reducing the storage area to 'only' 19 miles; and building a water transfer station at Welches Dam; but the Washes still work today much as Vermuyden intended, filling up with flood water every winter so protecting the surrounding lands.If you think there are any errors or ommissions on this page or would like to comment, please e-mail me and your response will be added.